Personality components of decision making

Summary Relationships between proneness to behavioral stereotypy (Ster) measured in a problem-solving task (electromaze) and decision-making behavior (under conditions of risk and certainty, chance and skill) were investigated using 64 subjects. Subjects more stereotyped in the electromaze (Ster ⁺) tended to also be more stereotyped in their decision-making behavior. Ster was not related to extraversion, neuroticism, rigidity or overall electromaze performance, but Ster ^– more often required an excessive number of trials for task solution. The decision making of males tended to be more stereotyped. The results were discussed in terms of the construct validity and theoretical interpretation of Ster.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurden Beziehungen zwischen der Neigung zur Verhaltensstereotypie (Ster), die bei einer Problemlösungsaufgabe gemessen wurde, und dem Entscheidungsverhalten (mit und ohne Risiko, wobei der Erfolg sowohl durch den Zufall wie auch durch das Können der Vp bestimmt wurde) untersucht. Vpn, die sich im Electromaze stereotyp verhielten (Ster ⁺), verhielten sich auch bei ihren Entscheidungen stereotyp. Es wurden keine Beziehungen zwischen Ster und den Variablen Extraversion, Neurotizismus, Rigidität und Gesamtleistung im Electromaze gefunden, jedoch benötigten Ster ^– häufiger eine extrem lange Serie von Versuchen zur Aufgabenlösung. Die männliche Vpn neigten stärker dazu, in Entscheidungssituationen stereotyp zu reagieren. Die Ergebnisse wurden vom Standpunkt der Konstruktvalidität und der theoretischen Grundlage der Ster aus diskutiert.

     

Extending the psychological profile of market mavenism

• This paper describes a study in the psychology of market mavenism, the consumer tendency to become especially involved in the marketplace. The purpose was to investigate empirically associations with the important consumer characteristics of innovativeness, status consumption, and need for uniqueness. The findings support the notion that market mavenism is due less to the demographic characteristics of consumers as it is more a socially constructed phenomenon. Global innovativeness, status consumption, and creative choice counterconformity explained more variance in market mavenism than did demographics. Theoretically, these findings enrich our knowledge of the psychology of market mavens by suggesting some motivations for their behavior. Practically, marketing strategies can be fine‐tuned to appeal more effectively to this important segment of consumers by appealing to mavens' willingness to try new things, to their need for uniqueness, and to their willingness to seek social status through consumption.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Goal specificity and knowledge acquisition in statistics problem solving: Evidence for attentional focus

Solving training problems with nonspecific goals (NG; i.e., solving for all possible unknown values) often results in better transfer than solving training problems with standard goals (SG; i.e., solving for one particular unknown value). In this study, we evaluated an attentional focus explanation of the goal specificity effect. According to the attentional focus view, solving NG problems causes attention to be directed to local relations among successive problem states, whereas solving SG problems causes attention to be directed to relations between the various problem states and the goal state. Attention to the former is thought to enhance structural knowledge about the problem domain and thus promote transfer. Results supported this view because structurally different transfer problems were solved faster following NG training than following SG training. Moreover, structural knowledge representations revealed more links depicting local relations following NG training and more links to the training goal following SG training. As predicted, these effects were obtained only by domain novices.     

Gender differences in temperament: a meta-analysis

The authors used meta-analytical techniques to estimate the magnitude of gender differences in mean level and variability of 35 dimensions and 3 factors of temperament in children ages 3 months to 13 years. Effortful control showed a large difference favoring girls and the dimensions within that factor (e.g., inhibitory control: d = -.41, perceptual sensitivity: d = -0.38) showed moderate gender differences favoring girls, consistent with boys' greater incidence of externalizing disorders. Surgency showed a difference favoring boys, as did some of the dimensions within that factor (e.g., activity: d = 0.33, high-intensity pleasure: d = 0.30), consistent with boys' greater involvement in active rough-and-tumble play. Negative affectivity showed negligible gender differences.     

Materialism, status consumption, and consumer independence

Materialism influences many people. We focus on two aspects of this influence: reactions to prestige products and to the influence of others. A study of 187 U.S. student consumers shows that materialism is positively related to buying products that confer status. In contrast, materialism is negatively related to consumer independence, an enduring tendency to pay minimal attention to the prescribed norms of other consumers and to make product and brand decisions according to personal preferences. Consuming products for status is also negatively related to consumer independence. Moreover, the association between materialism and consumer independence is completely mediated by consuming for status. Materialism urges consumers to be status conscious so that they follow social norms in purchasing, but seeking status through goods is avoided by less materialistic, independent consumers. A second study (n = 258) also using student consumers confirmed these results.